18 flood insurance claims·$34,370 paid·4 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Emporia city, Virginia. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 3 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2024, with 3 claims and $13,349 paid.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
2 NOAA storm reports from Emporia city describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Virginia flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1993, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 22, 2026 |
| Hurricane Florence | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 26, 2012 |
| Hurricane Irene | Aug 26, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 28, 2002 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Jan 25, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
13 since 1996: 7 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Nov 12, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Oct 8, 2016 | $200,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2013 | — |
| Flood | Aug 28, 2012 | — |
| Flood | Aug 27, 2011 | — |
| Tropical Storm | Aug 27, 2011 | $219,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2006 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 18, 2024. Scattered thunderstorms along a frontal boundary produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding and flooding across portions of south central Virginia.
Flood · Nov 12, 2020. Deep tropical moisture streaming northward into the Mid Atlantic region combined with the approach of a cold front and low pressure, produced heavy rain which caused flooding across portions of central and southeast Virginia.
Flood · Oct 8, 2016. The combination of a cold front moving through the Mid Atlantic and Post Tropical Cyclone Matthew tracking northeast just off the North Carolina and Virginia coasts, produced heavy rain which caused flooding across much of southeast Virginia from late Saturday afternoon, October 8th into Thursday afternoon, October 13th.
Flash Flood · Jun 7, 2013. The combination of the remnants from Tropical Storm Andrea and a frontal boundary draped over the region caused heavy rain which produced flash flooding across portions of central and eastern Virginia.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Emporia city is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.